


Us in the mirror

by pixiepoutmay



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, More will be added soon, The beginning only has a few tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:21:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22149343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixiepoutmay/pseuds/pixiepoutmay
Summary: Four unlikely girls bond in the strictest of all competitions.
Kudos: 5





	Us in the mirror

Alone in the bedroom, Sharon Myoui straightened her trophies, admiring them with a casual smile. The award wall glittered with golds and silver, the straps of medals hung meticulously on nails in the wall, the soft green color of her room softening the glint of metal. She gently toyed with one of the awards, humming lovingly before she took it off its hook, tucking it carefully into her suitcase which threatened to burst at the seams, her garment bag tossed to the side as she stuffed a small penguin toy into the remaining crevice's of the her clothes, tucked lovingly between some underwear and dresses. In just a few hours, she would be in Paris, the lights of the city bathing her in bright colors as she met with dozens of women all with the same goal in mind: To be Miss Universe.

Representing Texas and the United States as an Asian American woman was a daunting task. She could hardly walk down her neighborhood streets to the H.E.B at the edge of the development without someone stopping her to shake her hand and sign an autograph and the letters, oh the letters she would receive, full of so much love and support as she did her best to showcase her heritage proudly. For an introvert, it was like walking into a house full of spiderwebs, sticky and overwhelming, the gentlest brush of something against her a momentary tingle down her back as she struggled to find the source, but ultimately the experience was worth it. She felt proud of herself with every award and stayed humble with any loss, but the losses stayed in the past as she grew into her body and face, the awkward features of adolescence melting into sharp details of a beautiful woman. Gold had slowly become her favorite color. 

With a grunt, she slammed her suitcase closed, her most recent medal, the ticket to Miss Universe, jamming against the zipper. She struggled for a moment, untangling the ribbon from the contraption, then zipped it with a final ‘humph.’ From outside her door, she heard the solitary whine from a dog, her baby Ray wanting to be involved before she left. To avoid dog hair on her clothes, she had locked him out, but the sound of his upset was too pitiful to be left without loving. 

“Oh, Ray,” she cooed as she opened the door, letting him bounce all over her with a laugh. He licked her face with gusto, tickling her skin with a slobbery trail. The emptiness in her apartment felt warm as she pulled him off her and helping him into a crate to prepare for drop-off at her parent’s house. Just a few more hours and the she’d be headed for the hotel, the city of Paris engulfing her in a cacophony of sounds. She couldn’t wait. 

  
\-----  


“Mom, do you have my hairbrush?” Kim Dahyun ran around her house, shoving things into her suitcase as she wheeled along on the hardwood, her dog under foot while she finished her last-minute packing. Her flight wasn’t for another few hours, but nerves had gotten the best of her, keeping her up all night as she went over her pack list multiple times. It would be just her luck that she forgot her pageant shoes or that she would leave behind an earring, ultimately ruining her chances of the crown, but she checked, and double checked to make sure she had everything. 

Except her hairbrush, apparently. 

“Mom!” She hollered, now actually running, her suitcase falling over on its side as she slammed open drawers and yanked open the fridge. Her mom, a beautiful reflection of her daughter, finally snaked around the bathroom door, holding the white brush in her hands. “Is this it?” 

“Where have you been?! Did you have it this whole time?!” Dahyun reached out for the brush and her mother clucked her tongue, laughing. “No, you left it on the counter after your shower this morning. You completely overlooked it.” She smiled and leaned in, taking her child’s face in her hands to plant a kiss on her forehead. “You’re going to be okay, baby, I promise, you’ve got this.” 

Dahyun whined, her eyes tearing up from lack of sleep and high anxiety. “All of Korea is watching me.” 

“Then I guess you’ll have to give them something to watch, kiddo.” 

“But what if I let them down?” 

Her mom smiled, cupping her cheeks with pride. “You’re never going to be a let us down. You’re Miss South Korea, and you’re radiant, with or without that crown.” She kissed her daughter’s face again, tickling her as she helped ease her nerves. It was a long flight to Paris, but with her mother’s support, Dahyun could do anything. 

  
\-----  


Fidgeting with her skirt, Hirai Momo squirmed uncomfortably in her chair, her nerves settling in her throat making her want to throw up. She looked at her watch again, kicking her legs impatiently as the little lines clicked in a quiet unison, the pink band matching with the flower stemmed hands on the clock, a rose blooming on the watch face. The airport was cold and stuffy, people bustling back and forth with their suitcases and backpacks and cell phones and friends. She wished sadly that she brought someone with her, or even an extra stuffed animal to hold on the plane. Instead she had just her luggage and coffee rushing through her veins. 

“Now boarding flight 437 from Osaka to Paris, again, now boarding flight 437 from Osaka to Paris.” The intercom clicked off and Momo realized that her nerves had worked their way to her bladder; she hurriedly grabbed her luggage, scurrying to the ladies’ room to relieve herself before take-off. Washing her hands quickly, she scurried back to the terminal, standing forever in a line to get onto the plane. For a few more hours, Hirai Momo would be virtually unknown, her beauty just an accident to the average person, but in less than a day she would be parading around a stage, practicing her walk and talent piece, offering herself to the competition with open arms, hoping for the ability to be crowned Miss Universe. 

Momo’s best friend had sent her off with a kiss and she felt it now burn on her cheek as she climbed the ramp and squeezed through the seats of the cabin. She had said it was a good luck charm, and Momo prayed that it would work. After a series of ‘excuse mes’ and being pushed to her chair, she shoved her carry on up above the aisle, climbing over the middle person to stake her claim at the window seat, opening the blind to see the tarmac. She wished she hadn’t come alone, but maybe this was the start of something new. 

Holding her breath, she let her ears pop on take-off, adjusting herself to the altitude. Slipping on the complimentary eye mask, she squished herself down into her seat, grateful to catch a few moments of sleep on the 13-hour flight. Paris would be soon, and she was so excited that she passed out quickly, sleeping comfortably against the window. 

  
\-----  


“I promise I have everything, Mom, I just want to make sure _Gucci_ has everything. I’m not leaving him without giving him everything he wants.” Chou Tzuyu leaned down, smothering her dog’s face with kisses, letting him slobber on her cheeks in appreciation. 

“You spoil him,” her mom tutted, amused with her daughter who moved from squatting to fully sitting on the floor, her pants covered in dog fur. “How do you expect to board the plane looking like you just came from a pound?” Her mom took a long look at her child, shaking her head in teasing annoyance, before she began her search for a lint roller. 

“It’s not spoiling him if he deserves it,” Tzuyu retorted, sticking her tongue out before standing again, letting her mother roll sticky paper down her clothes. She spun and allowed her to reach her back, sighing as she realized the hammering heart in her chest wouldn’t stop, even with playful banter. Eyeing the sash draped over her travel bag, she knew that it would be a moment she would never forget, barely an adult landing in Paris for the competition of a lifetime. 

She hummed in her throat as her mother straightened her clothes, a warm hand tilting her chin up to make her neck longer. “Mom,” she whined, and her mother laughed. “You’re a beauty queen, Tzuyu, hold your head high. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the sash ‘Miss Taiwan’ and I want the world to know that we are proud of you, my beautiful daughter.” 

“I’m more than beautiful,” Tzuyu said, huffing as her mom planted a kiss on her cheek. “I know that, and now the world will, too.” 

“Come with me?” Tzuyu finally asked, realizing how small her voice sounded as she felt her anxiety settle in her stomach. “I wish I could, darling, but I have to stay, and you have to go. This is unfortunately the path of a parent.” She reached down and grabbed Tzuyu’s backpack, her daughter wheeling out her suitcase from the closet, packed and ready for weeks to avoid panic. “I go as far as the check-in, and you can call me from the boarding area, I’ll stay with you on the phone until you’re seated and told to turn it on to airplane mode.” 

“Okay...” A silence followed and Tzuyu swallowed hard, the realization of the situation dawning on her slowly. In just a few hours she would be in Paris, her aim on the prize and eyes the crown. It scared her, but it lit a fire under her that she had never felt before.


End file.
